Russia has no intention to end its military presence in Syria despite the ongoing violence in the Arab nation, the Head of Russian army says.

Chief of Staff General Nikolai Makarov on Tuesday rejected the reports that Moscow was in the process of evacuating its naval base in Syria and pulling out its high ranking military personnel.

“Why are you so worried about Syria?” Makarov said. “All the plans that we have in place are working and no one is running away from there.”

“I would think it is premature to start making any conclusions and saying that we ran away,” Makarov added.

His remarks came after some unconfirmed report began circulating in Russian media claiming that Moscow has decided to reduce the number of its military personnel in a naval center in the Syrian city of Tartus.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia is facing a heightened risk of being drawn into conflicts at its borders that have the potential of turning nuclear, the nation’s top military officer said Thursday.

Gen. Nikolai Makarov, chief of the General Staff of the Russian armed forces, cautioned over NATO’s expansion eastward and warned that the risks of Russia being pulled into local conflicts have “risen sharply.”

Makarov added, according to Russian news agencies, that “under certain conditions local and regional conflicts may develop into a full-scale war involving nuclear weapons.”